By Saskia van Reenen
October 27, 1999
Environmentalists all over the world meet at the Climate Conference in Bonn, where they will discuss the destructive effects of the emissions of gases such as carbon dioxide. Since the Kyoto Protocol in 1997 no progress has been made. The main reason is the reluctance of industrialised countries to ratify the protocol. 159 countries, rich and poor, signed up to the Kyoto protocol by which they agreed to reduce their gas emissions by five percent. So far the protocol has only been ratified by 15 developing nations. Industrialised countries, including the worst polluters, didn't follow their example, because they said the terms weren't clear enough.
There are controversial disagreements between the United States and the European Union on how to implement the Kyoto accord. The USA is a proponent of an emission trade market, which means that it can buy pollution credits from other states with low emission rates. The EU proposed restrictions on such flexible mechanisms. But the Americans have refused to negotiate about it. In another way of avoiding cuts in emissions, the United States government is helping developing countries to build clean installations.
Because of the attitude of some industrialised countries the targets of the Kyoto protocol have not been met. And political reality suggests that the conference in Bonn won't make much progress either. The Americans, under pressure from the Republicans, have repeated their refusal to ratify the accord. And without American support, many believe that the Kyoto protocol loses its meaning and effect.
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